I found this book on a list of fantasy series. I had never heard of it, and while it claims to be a young adult series, the main characters are all children, it’s a damned entertaining ride, and sets up the adventure that will sprawl over five novels.

Simon, his sister Jane, and younger brother, Barney have come with their parents to the coastal town of Trewissick in Cornwall. They are looking forward to spending time with their great-uncle Merry, or Professor Lyon as he is known in social circles.

Staying in the Grey House up on the hill overlooking the village, the kids are planning on an enjoyable getaway, but when they stumble across a strange manuscript hidden in the attic, they find themselves caught up in a battle between good and evil.

A battle that has been raging for a long time. and not everyone they meet along the way can be trusted.

With some advice and some help from Merry, they find themselves edging around Arthurian legend, and finding them looking for Arthur’s cup, his own grail.

The manuscript they found has a drawing of Trewissick, as well as information about the grail, and the battle between good and evil.

The young trio aren’t ready for the baddies they come up against, including the villainous Hastings. The kids are in a race against time, as the clues lead them across the coastline.

The forces of darkness are rising, and it seems the only thing that may be standing in their way, right now, are three children, a dog, and their great-uncle.

It’s a well-crafted tale, with lots of adventure to be had. The story is engaging, and the writing is smart and clever. This was one of those novels that I could see the action playing out in the theater of the mind’s eye.

And as I was watching the movie in my head I had to wonder, how is it possible that this series hadn’t been tapped for an adaptation yet?

Known collectively as The Dark is Rising Sequence, I cannot wait to dig into the next installment, which came along almost eight years after the first novel, in 1973! I’ll be very curious to see where this adventure takes me, and I am looking forward to spending more time with these characters.

And maybe I can figure out why I had never heard of this series before hand. When these books were published, well the later novels, they would have been perfect for me.

If you’ve never heard of them, check them out. This one is a fun adventure!